Time Again
by NaturalDecline
Summary: Four people trying to survive in a world where the dead eat the living and all they can hope for is another day of survival  goes along with the show in the beginning then diverts  Can they eventually find a cure? Glenn/OC Daryl/OC
1. Viper

**I have written some fanfiction before but it has been very very limited and really just not good. haha Now it is two years later and I am hoping that this is a lot better. I am Co-Writing (ish) This story with another writer. They have generally the same plot line but mine is in the POV of Ivy and her's is the POV of Clementine. Please Enjoy and a Review would be fabulous so I know what to do better and what you liked. Thanks :)**

Chapter One: Viper

The small, would-be-quaint-if-it-wasn't-destroyed-by-walkers, Georgian town was quiet and just as she thought about it a smirk slid slyly across her sun kissed face. Knowing full well how cliché and ridiculous she sounded she whispered aloud,

"It's quiet; too quiet." She smiled wide, giggling lightly at her own joke. Hey, she had been alone since the outbreak started basically; she had to amuse herself with anything and everything to keep what sanity she had in check. Ivy really needed to focus so she pushed all thoughts from her mind.

"In, out, weapons, supplies, gone. In, out." She whispered quietly aloud for nothing to hear but her own ears. Ivy hated trips into whatever city or town she was passing by at the time. She was a fast mover, probably one of the only advantages to being on this journey alone. Ivy had gotten to where she was in Georgia all the way from the southernmost tip of Florida. She was on her way to Seattle, long way to go but she needed to know that Sam, her brother, was alive and if he had found a cure.

_ One can only hope… I'll go as far as I can, die trying._ She thought.

Ivy heard the resounding sound of hooves on pavement, a sound she recognized as well as her own steady heartbeat. Something she hadn't heard since she moved to Florida from Elkton Kentucky, her home town. Ivy crouched behind the largest thing that was close to her; unfortunately that was a trash bin. She kept her eyes peeled and hand tight on her crowbar.

After a moment or two of the pitter patter of hooves Ivy began to hear human voices, not entirely sure yet if the people possessing the voices were friend or foe. So she stayed tense behind the dumpster, knowing that she needed to get up and away from it soon as she would not be able to smell a walker from behind her just in case she didn't hear it.

There has to be people in this trashcan or something for it to smell like this. Fuck it's worse than walkers to begin with, and me, and I haven't had a bath in…way too long. Right upon thinking this Ivy heard a low, drawn out, guttural moan from behind her. It was a hungry walker who was, instead of letting his tummy do the talking, was growling himself.

Ivy smiled but tensed her body, prepared for the fight that would ensue. She turned her head, just enough to catch a quick glance at a snarly looking walker with half a jaw and dried blood covering its hands and face.

"Looks like someone could have used a napkin" Ivy said out loud, snickering at her corny joke that hadn't really been funny. She turned to fully face the walker and gained its attention along with that of the two horsemen.

Ivy lifted he crowbar enhanced arm and took a swing at the walker, easily hitting her target; the female's head. The body fell to the ground, but out of natural reflex it was still making gurgling noises and Ivy would have none of it. She knew that it would only attract more walkers so she sent her crowbar straight through the ugly bitch's head again and again. Blackish blood seeped from the skull and trailed down the alley way. The dead woman finally stopped making noises but, to put it lightly, Ivy is a sick fuck, so she slammed the crowbar into the head until all that was left remaining was a heap of bone fragments, mush, and black blood, everywhere.

Ivy turned to see the on-looking survivors who were staring at her in utter shock. She shrugged simply and gave them a small wave with her free hand, smiling sweetly.

The wimpy Asian boy looked like a mixture of confusion, interest, and fear. Though interest seemed the most prominent emotion on his face. There was also a pretty girl who wore a cow girl hat who merely leaned into the Asian and began to sob.

Ivy frowned, apologized quickly, and began to walk away.

_ This is why I am just better off on my own._ She thought wryly as she continued leaving the alley.

"Stop!" Came a male voice. Ivy turned to look at the man in question. "Maggie, she just believes there is a cure for these… infected people." The Jap, who Ivy would later learn was actually Korean and was named Glenn said apologetically.

"Are you stupid?" Ivy almost yelled half sarcastically. The short haired woman just looked at her doe-eyed.

"Look, Maggie? I think it was, these… things, walkers cannot be healed. Their monsters. I mean seriously? How could anyone think that after you have been attacked so many times by them and see other people get eaten by them, ripped apart and gorged on like a feast." Ivy yelled loudly at the girl on a horse.

Maggie just glared at Ivy, an intruder in her life and an obstacle in her goal for the day with Glenn.

"SHUT UP!" Maggie screamed before she continued. "I swear I don't even know your name and I can't stand you! You don't know what I've been through! Don't talk to me like you know!"

A sad smile lit Ivy's face and she retorted, "Yeah, try traveling alone since before you knew what was happening. Look, I'm not sayin' I know nothin' about what happened to you, all I am sayin' is that you haven't been through shit if you think these monsters can be saved." Ivy just started walking off as Maggie stared at her, disbelieving.

As she walked away down the alleyway she came across another walker and disposed of it in a manner similar to the previous, then lifted her crowbar in the air, giving Maggie a sarcastic wave that made the cowgirl gasp.

_Soo… that was hot; in a really weird way._ Glenn thought, then shrugged it off, continuing on with Maggie to the Drug Store.

Ivy found herself smiling again as she made her way to the small market store named, "Nell's Market Place." She walked in cautiously taking several, skeptical glances around the building. Finally convinced that there were no walkers around and the aisles were clear of dead people she headed straight for the canned food. The place was a mess, just as she had expected, but truly was clear of walkers, still strong in her faith; Ivy said a quick 'thank you' prayer for the small miracles.

It would be pointless to go for most other foods as they would rot quickly, or in most cases, they had already rotted. It was proven by the putrid scent that filled the small market. Ivy grabbed multiple cans of soup and beans and shoved them into her back pack. Ivy then shoved her bag to the brink with spam, crackers, Tums, Tylenol, bandages, Band-Aids (Scooby Doo of course), and Ramen Noodles.

_Oh, Ramen Noodles, how they never go bad and how I love you so._ Ivy thought, smiling once more. Today is just a good day hmm.

Ivy got a giant container of salt, not too sure what she would need to use it for but it could definitely use it for something. And last for food, she grabbed a jug of water. As she pushed the salt into her bag leaving absolutely no room for anything else, she continued onto another area in the small building that held all of the cheap clothes. Think of Walmart; just smaller.

She tied a few scarves together creating a makeshift shoulder bag. She put the gallon of water into the new bag and also stuck a pair of jeans and a hoodie in there as well.

One last stop and I am gone. Ivy thought, giddy at the idea of leaving and getting some rest. She hadn't slept in way too long and this trip to town and now the weight of her bags were draining her.

The last place she needed to go was a hunting store where she could see had already been broken into as there was broken glass all over the place from the display cases. It seemed as though the people who had gotten here first were either extremely generous to the rest of the survivor population, or clueless; most likely the latter.

Ivy grabbed a hunting rifle and some ammo for it looking around at the other weapons, and grabbed some ammo for the 12 gauge pump she already had. She was definitely a knives person though so that's where her attention was focused. Ivy was basically in a romantic relationship with her machete though so she only grabbed a small skinning knife that would prove its self useful later.

She stuck the knife through her belt loop and slung the rifle over her shoulder that wasn't preoccupied by her makeshift shoulder bag.

Right when Ivy walked through the shop's broken doors she was met by the Asian boy she had met earlier but it seemed that the Maggie girl was no where around.

"Maggie went home." The man said quietly as if it were some sacred secret no one else was allowed to know.

"It's ok to speak up ya know." Ivy laughed at him. "I promise, the walkers won't tell anyone." She hadn't expected the Chinaman to chuckle along with her, but he did.

"Well we have an entire camp of people; I'm not sure what they will say long term but you can stay there with us tonight." All he received from Ivy in return was a quizzical stare so he rambled on, unsure of himself.

"Walkers don't come around where we set up camp on the farm. We think it might be the terrain or something, but anyway you would get some food and a place to sleep, as restful as you can get in the apocalypse I would assume…" Glenn was cut off by Ivy walking away towards the small thicket that ran down and separated the farm lands from the town.

"What…" Glenn began but was vocally interrupted this time.

"Look, I would love to stay with you and your comrades, but I am tired as shit. I am heading to my car, you can come with me and then show me to yall's campsite, or I can go on my merry way, I don't care." Ivy replied in a much friendlier, yet tired voice. He was, after all just trying to help her.

Glenn rode quietly, trailing her until they reached farm lands.

"You know, you could always hop on, it would be much faster." Glenn pointed out. Ivy didn't respond by saying anything. She just hopped on behind Glenn and watched as he looked surprised.

"What?" She asked.

"I… how did you do that? I didn't even stop…" Glenn asked extremely impressed by her obvious skill.

"Grew up around horses, that's all." She responded shortly.

That was where all conversation ended as they both were caught up in their own thoughts as the sun dropped beneath what little hill there was among the vast farm land that stretched before and behind them, entirely too empty and void of human life.

When the two riders finally reached the interstate Glenn broke the almost-comfortable-but-too-ridden-by- death- to-be-pleasant-silence.

"Which car is yours… um I don't know your name…" Glenn asked completely unsure.

"Ivy and that one." Ivy answered; grin as wide as her face as she pointed to a sleek, sexy, black Dodge Viper.

_How the heck did she find that thing?_ Glenn wondered as he realized which car Ivy was referring to.

Ivy just giggled at his expression. "It's always been my dream car. I saw it and well its owner tried to eat me, the least he can do is give me his car, which is sex on wheels by the way." Ivy explained to him, winking.

Glenn visibly swallowed, intimidated by the woman's bluntness. He hopped off of the horse and ran to the car letting out a low whistle.

"Be. A. Utiful! Seriously man, sweet ride." Glenn said approvingly. Ivy followed Glenn's actions by getting off of the horse and walking over to her Viper. She felt extremely refreshed, as she had ridden on the horse instead of walking that whole way.

"Yeah, I figured, what the Hell, it's my dream car, I might die tomorrow there are no guarantees, but hey! I've got a bad ass car." Ivy told him causing him laugh at the truth that lay within her story of indulgence. The horse gave a bored whinny, bringing the attention back to it.

"I forgot about the horse." Glenn laughed. "We should get back."

Ivy just nodded in agreement before offering, "You wanna take 'er for a spin?"

"Hell yeah!" Glenn said in a voice that sounded more like 'DUH!'

"Don't drive too fast tonight so you can show me how to get to the camp, you can have some fun with it tomorrow if you want." Ivy told him, not wanting to get lost.

**Hope you Enjoyed! I will be updating as soon as possible! Again, Reviews are awesome for critique and the over all joy of getting a review makes me update quicker! Also, Anyone who reviews for me, I will read a story of yours and review it, seriously that is how much I appreciate it! Thanks! **


	2. Into the Woods

CHAPTER TWO BEGIN***

Several heads, lit up by the orange glow of firelight, turned at the sound of a running motor and the sound of tires coming up the dirt road to the Greene farm. There was a horse rider trailing behind the Viper, each of the bodies that the heads belonged to tensed, ready for trouble until their fears were eased by Glenn stepping out of the car.

"Hey guys! I found another survivor!" Everyone's face mirrored each other's; excitement evident. All but one that is, Maggie, who was sitting on the step, just turned and ran up the porch, slamming the door behind her as she went.

"Her name is… Ivy I think it was." Glenn continued, completely ignoring Maggie's fit.

"Yeah, Ivy." She replied, scanning the faces of the unfamiliar humans who would become her companions. Suddenly though, her eyes landed on a pair of brilliant blue eyes, brilliant blue eyes that she would recognize from anywhere.

"Daryl!" She yelled as she ran and jumped into his open arms. Ivy gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled happily.

"Ivianna Jane Costibal! Where have you been all my life?" Daryl laughed.

Ivy took a step back and looked around her, seeing another familiar face. Clementine just smiled sweetly back at her.

"I knew the Z-Poc would never take two mother fuckers like you guys." Ivy laughed, so happy that she found her friends.

"Wait… you know each other?" Clementine and Daryl said at the same time. They looked at each other, confused and Ivy knew right away that they had become a couple. This sent Ivy into another fit of giggles.

"You guys are together!" She exclaimed laughing hard and loudly, "I tried setting you two up and neither of you wanted to date!" About a year before the walkers ever came around Ivy tried setting the two up on a date but after talking on the phone once they both refused to even meet.

"That's just too hilarious." Ivy smiled. "Tiny and I met right after I moved to Florida. Anthony wanted to go to his parents' cabin here in Georgia and I knew there was a clinic going on, I think it was some sort of blood testing thing, and Tiny was my instructor. We clicked, I guess, so, since then we have been pretty good friends." Ivy explained to Daryl using Clementine's nickname, Tiny.

"But how do you know him?" Tiny asked pointing to Daryl.

Daryl laughed, taking the rein on this one. "We had sex one night. It was so sexy it hurts to think about." Ivy laughed loudly and smacked Daryl upside the head, and then she noticed the look on Clementine's face and took pity.

"Don't listen to him, he's a Dick." Ivy stopped to smile at Tiny to reassure her that Daryl's story was in fact, false. "We were neighbors growin' up. Best buddies since we were little."

"Oh, ok, well that's awesome. I thought you lived in Kentucky though Daryl?" Tiny asked.

"Yeah I did until about a month before the world went to shit. So did Ivy, but she moved to Florida a few years before, we grew up together in Elkton. Small, shitty town."

"It was not shitty! It was the bes-" Ivy was cut off by someone clearing their voice from behind them. It was Glenn.

"Um, I'm glad you know them, but don't you want to meet everyone else?" He reminded her. Ivy had forgotten everyone else, she was just stoked that her friends were still alive, worse for wear, but who wasn't?

"Damn. Yeah, sorry, totally forgot that everyone else was here." Ivy said apologetically, while smiling sheepishly.

"Well first off, this is Rick, our sort of… unofficial leader of sorts." Glenn started. Ivy openly ogled the man Glenn was pointing at, he was attractive and she was unashamed to think so. Rick grabbed her hand and shook it in welcome. Ivy gave short thanks and waited for Glenn to continue.

"His wife Lori is inside with their son Carl." Glenn continued.

_Damn, he's married._ Ivy thought sadly.

When Glenn finished pointing everyone out Ivy just smiled, happy to finally have some companions. She loved being on her own, but it got tough sometimes, she was stubborn but Ivy would at least admit to that.

"Well, that's everyone. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry sooo…" Glenn trailed as he walked to the fire and grabbed some of what Carol had been cooking.

Ivy decided that she liked Carol a lot. Something about her was just really inviting and she was beyond beautiful. Just sad. Ivy wasn't sure what had caused that sadness in her but she was almost completely sure that it hadn't started when the apocalypse did like it had for most of them, whatever it was.

"Ivy?" Carol called out to her, gaining her attention. "Would you like something to eat? We have beans and squirrel meat."

Ivy's stomach growled, thankfully though, no one had heard it. "No thanks." Ivy responded. These new folks had given her a place to stay and were now offering her food; she couldn't use up all their resources. She might stay here for a while but Ivy knew that she wasn't going to stay here with them forever.

"I think I am going to go to bed. Thank you for your hospitality, I will see you all in the morning." Ivy announced. There was a collective "Goodnight." From everyone as Ivy walked away but Tiny followed her, needing to talk to her.

"Hey, Ivy, wait up." Ivy waited and turned to her friend so that she could continue. "Hey I know that it isn't the way Daryl made it sound, but, did you guys really have sex?"

Ivy laughed before answering, and then said, "Yeah, we did."

"Oh…" Tiny said in response but Ivy just continued,

"We were fifteen. We both wanted to get the 'stupid virgin thing' out of the way. It was ridiculous. Awkward. We are like brother and sister, it was just weird. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about at all." By the way that Tiny blushed Ivy knew that they had already had sex so she continued the conversation.

"So how long have you guys been together?" The young woman asked the slightly older woman.

Clementine took a moment to answer, but he didn't actually know day-wise.

"Well we have been together since the group was at the quarry. That was before we went to the CDC en came here."

"No way, you guys all went to the CDC?" Ivy asked as she took the back pack off of her tired shoulders and began to pull out its contents.

"Yeah… why are you unpacking here? Shouldn't you stay closer to the camp?" Tiny questioned, baffled as to why Ivy would choose to sleep by the creek almost a mile from camp and in the woods.

"I am used to being by myself. I like being with y'all but I aint stayin' here. I don't want anyone gettin' attached." Ivy told her, grabbing some sticks that were lying around by the moving spring.

Clementine was left speechless, unsure of what to say she just settled on a goodnight and walked back to Hershel's.

Ivy just went back to her task of pulling everything out of her bag. Once she had everything out of her back pack she unstrapped the scarf-bag from her shoulder and began to empty it as well. Once everything was spread out before her she picked up her blanket and spread it, right next to the fresh creek, she then proceeded to untie, and lay the scarves over the blanket.

Ivy continued setting up her camp putting all the cans of food in a stacked pile beside where her head would go on the blanket, then put the box of crackers and can of salt in front of the stack. She also put the jug of water next to her stack, piling the weapons next to it as well just about a foot away from her "bed" but putting her machete directly next to her.

Ivy picked out a few larger, round rocks from the creak end put them into a circle, placing the sticks and twigs she found in the center and found another stone that was sharp at the tip and a stick. She made a fire with them.

With the rock she used to make a fire she sharpened another, longer stick and punched it through the can of beans that would be dinner and held it over the fire like a marshmallow. He was quiet but Ivy was his best friend since they could remember so she knew he was there.

"Oh, come on, you're good, if I was anyone else I would have no idea that you were there, but I know you way too well. The least you could do is come hold this for me for a moment." Ivy said out loud, causing Daryl to curse and walk towards her from the shadows.

"Dammit woman, you are the only one who can do that. I'm not just good, I'm the best." He said as he grabbed the stick from her hand, continuing to hold it over the fire as she had done. Ivy just smiled as she stood, grabbed her knife and began walking around, collecting more sticks from the lush forest floor.

She had an armful of sticks when she heard a growl and felt her hand being tugged from an unseen force, she turned her body around coming face to face with a bloody mess and a broken nose. The smell of rot too strong for anyone not to gag. The monster continued to gurgle and growl at her as she fruitlessly tried to pull her way out of its hungry grasp.

Ivy dropped the sticks that had been in her other arm, all of them, except for one. She kept the one stick and plunged it through the walker's eye socket, letting the black blood flow freely down the skin of her arm, the little hairs being slicked down by the oozing goo. Unfortunately it was still "alive" and attacking her. She ran backwards and into a tree, Daryl, who had a thin log hit it, knocking it down long enough for Ivy to slide the skinning knife from her belt loop and slice through its neck, successfully severing the head. Once the head was off of the walker Ivy grabbed one of the thicker sticks she had dropped and impaled it into the head, sticking it into the ground, leaving it there like a trophy.

Ivy continued to clean up the mess by grabbing the fully dead walker by the hands and dragging it towards a different direction than her camp. Daryl reached out and grabbed the walker's feet hauling it up so that they could move faster.

They disposed of it in the woods quite a ways from the creak. When they got back to her personal camp Ivy picked up the can of beans that had been left there when the walker had attacked, and put them back over the fire as if nothing at all had happened.

Once Ivy thought that the beans were done she set them down by the creak and washed her hands and arms in the creak.

Ivy popped the can open and took her fork from where it sat beside the rest of her food and took a few bites of her beans.

"You hungry?" Ivy asked, offering to give him some of her dinner as she continued pulling scoops out of the can and shoving the forkfuls into her mouth. What? She was really hungry.

"No thanks! Looks like you can't get enough for yourself!" Daryl said, laughing at the woman.

"Oh shut up! I'm hungry!" Ivy exclaimed. Laughing at her idiotic best friend. When they both sobered up she asked, "Do you act like this with her too?"

Daryl gave her a strange look that was surprisingly, one she didn't recognize before responding to her, "Only sometimes. I've known you my whole life, I li- appreciate her, but I don't know. Dammit! Why the fuck are you makin' me talk about this?"

"'Cause I'm mean!" Ivy said smiling and dropping the topic. "You'll always be the Daryl I know." She suddenly stated, causing Daryl to feel awkward and begin to walk away.

"Damn straight!" He said backing up. "I'm gonna go to bed I guess." He finished turning and walking through the trees back onto the farm.

"G'night dumb ass!" Ivy yelled as she took out one of her three plastic baggies she had brought with her, putting what was left of the beans into it. She then washed out her can and filled it with water from her gallon and sipped it slowly, just watching the fire's left over embers burn.

Ivy bent over her "bed" and said her nightly prayer, thanking God for just one more day, and went to sleep, wondering about what tomorrow would bring.


	3. Meryl

**OK! Chapter Three is up and four will be soon! I am going to start typing it tonight and if it is not done by then I will have it by tomorrow! :D Please guys, Reviews are awesome and they let me know if I am doing alright or not.. Thanks for reading! **

Ivy was sitting on the porch swing reading one of her favorite books, and one of the only ones she had managed to salvage when the world went to crap. "Perfect Chemistry" by Simone Elkeles. Well, it was one of her favorite books, until she realized how silly it was to think about now.

Gang violence? There were no people left in this world. Still, she enjoyed to read about the character's romance that crossed through race and social class. "Yep I am a secret romantic." She said to herself aloud.

"You know I wouldn't pin you for the romance type of girl." Glenn said starling her for a moment as he sat beside her. He was smiling a bit awkwardly.

"You seem more… bad ass." At this Ivy just laughed, quickly covered her mouth and looked around her, afraid that she had awoken someone at the camp. This caused Glenn to laugh out loud at her for her foolishness.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me! It's a legit fear!" Ivy said beginning to laugh at herself as well. "Speaking of which, why are you awake so early?" She asked the man sitting next to her.

"It was my turn to watch over camp. You weren't here." He stated, though it was quite obvious.

"No, I wasn't I set up my own camp." Ivy explained to him. Not really in the mood to talk to him anymore. He was kind of squirrely and nerdy.

"Why?" He inquired, a curious expression covering his face, his brow furrowed.

"I don't really think that it is any of your business." Ivy answered curtly, as she stood up and began walking away, making it clear that she didn't want to make conversation anymore.

Ivy decided that she would go inside the farm house and see if there was anyone in there that she hadn't already met. Turns out, there were. There was an old man sitting at the kitchen table, fork in hand, eating some eggs and reading a bible.

"Hi, I guess this is your farm house?" Ivy questioned the old man. When he turned to answer though he didn't look as friendly as he had when he was reading, he simply closed his bible and finished chewing he bite as the silence spewed between them.

"Yes, it is. Now may I ask, who are you? One of Rick's people?" He finally responded. The man gave her a harsh look and she wasn't sure what she should say to him. She was one of Rick's people, but for how long?

"Sort of, I just came here last night, uh, Glenn, he found me in town, and Maggie." She told him truthfully.

"Well, just don't get too comfortable. I expect you and your people to be heading out as soon as the boy is all healed up." He warned her.

"Of course." She said, then continued to explain, "I was going to leave soon anyway. I don't plan on staying or traveling with Rick's group. Better on my own. Now, who's the boy you mentioned?" Ivy asked him, extremely curious, Glenn had mentioned that Rick had a son but the only other children that were here were girls.

"Rick's boy, Carl, he is in that room there." The old man told Ivy with his hand raised, pointing at a door across the living room.

"I was a part time nurse, I am gonna go check it out." She spoke quietly, realizing that there were sleeping people in the household with them. As she started to creep towards the door she remembered her manners and extended her hand to him.

"By the way, I'm Ivy."

The man grabbed her outstretched hand and shook it sternly. "Hershel Greene." He told her and nodded.

Ivy opened the door as quietly as she could and stepped in. She gained the attention of the woman who had been lying her head on the bed.

"Who are you?" The thin, brown haired woman asked, whispering as not to wake up the sleeping boy.

"Hi, I'm Ivy, Glenn and Maggie found me in town yesterday, they brought me back here, you must be Rick's wife." She whispered back, introducing herself.

"I am." She confirmed. "This is Carl." The woman introduced to Ivy. "Our son. And my name is Lori."

Ivy thought that Lori was a pretty woman but she was way too thin for her own good. Ivy walked over to Carl and put her hand on his forehead. He didn't have a fever so she wasn't sure why he was in here and why he was so pale.

"I'm a part time nurse."Ivy informed Lori. "But, he doesn't have a fever, so I'm wondering why he's in here." Ivy admitted to the woman who chuckled quietly.

"I wish we woulda had you a few days ago then." Lori told her. Ivy was confused, she had no Idea what the other brunette was talking about. Lori noticed, thus, she decided to explain herself further. "A hunter saw a deer and shot it with a shot gun and my baby boy was standing on the other side of the deer."

Ivy gasped slightly. "I am so sorry. He doesn't look so bad though, for a shot wound." Ivy tried to reassure Lori who looked like she was about to cry.

"Yeah, Hershel is a vet, he performed surgery."

Ivy didn't know how to respond so a moment later she excused herself from the room. By time Ivy went back outside the campsite was bustling with activity. Ivy found Clementine and asked her what was going on.

"Oh, Daryl went out lookin' for Sohia today, by himself. I don't like it, but Hershel's right, Rick has lost way too much blood, he can't be goin' out there, he'd pass out."

standing with Andrea and Shane looking over the map.

"Agreed." Clementine said.

"What are you doin' then since your 'Boo' is out there lookin' for the girl." Ivy asked, laughing at the nickname she gave Daryl. He'd smack her if he had heard.

"'Boo'? Seriously Ivy? And I am going hunting. I'll be back later." Ivy told her walking awayfrom the camp and into the woods.

It was obvious that the camp had been set in a sort of routine that she wasn't a part of and Ivy wasn't quite sure what to do with herself.

"You look lost." A man said coming up behind Ivy. She turned to see that it was Shane. She liked him all right but something seemed a bit off, his screws seemed to be a bit loose or something.

"Yeah, I'm not too sure what I should be doing right now. I mean it seems like y'all already have a system and I just sorta showed up." Ivy to him, feeling as lost as she apparently looked.

"Well are you squeamish?" He asked, giving Ivy a funny look.

"Not really… why?" She responded completely unsure of where he was going with this.

"I didn't think so, you really don't look like that kind of girl" He said with a grin on his face, laughing for a moment before continuing on with his suggestion. "Anyway, I was thinking you could help me skin the squirrels Daryl hunted yesterday, I think we have a rabbit as well."

"Yeah, for sure." Ivy said smiling and grabbing her skinning knife from her belt loop. She followed Shane to where there was a stump with two dead squirrels on it and a pile of more next to it.

Ivy laughed upon seeing this. "Seriously Daryl, you never change."

"How did you know Daryl before you came here?" Shane asked her; apparently he had not heard her tell Clementine the night before.

"We were neighbors when we were growin' up, then I moved to Florida right before my nineteenth birthday, and he moved to Georgia sometime after that. He had a brother Meryl; he got himself into a lot of trouble and Daryl, though he is nothing like his brother, is way loyal to him." Ivy told Shane, unaware of the fact that Shane knew who Meryl is.

"Speaking of which, I am surprised that Meryl aint here. Tough mother fucker if I ever saw one." Ivy said aloud more to herself than to Shane but, as he was standing next to her, he heard.

"Oh, Meryl was with us. He went into the city, Atlanta, when we were stayin' back at the quarry and he was threatenin' everybody so Rick handcuffed him there." Ivy was shocked to say the least but really when she thought about it, it was a very Meryl thing to do and well she could agree with what Rick did.

"Well what happened after that, where is he now?" Ivy asked.

"They had to leave." Shane answered shortly.

Ivy's face dead panned. She couldn't believe that they left him there! "Did you all really just leave him there?" Ivy yelled.

"Hey! I wasn't there!" Shane defended himself, then continued, "They had to go and T-Dawg apparently dropped the keys down a drain on accident and they chained the door shut so no walkers would get to him. They went back the next day and, all they found was his hand." He finished.

Ivy just laughed. "Mother fucker cut off his own hand!" She was cracking up, she had to set her knife and squirrel down just so that she wouldn't cut herself.

"Pretty much" Shane said smiling. "Do you care that he might be dead?" He asked her bluntly, catching her a bit off guard.

"Of course I would, but I know he's not dead." Ivy told him with all seriousness.

_Meryl may be a dick but he's like a brother. _She thought, but she kept it to herself letting them both finish skinning in silence, that is until they heard all of their comrades screaming,

"WALKER!" Ivy and Shane grabbed their weapons and ran down the slight hill alongside Rick, Glenn, and T-Dawg, Ivy yelling back at Andrea not to shoot.

They all circled around the walker leaving it entirely defenseless in the face of all of their weapons.

Ivy was in complete survivor mode until she heard Glenn go,

"Daryl?"

_Oh shit. _Ivy thought before she was interrupted while saying, "Daryl! What the hel-"

A 'BANG' resounded in the air as Daryl fell to the ground. Ivy ran to him, her knees protesting as she dropped down next to him, grabbing his head. He was only grazed.

_Thank you Lord. _ Prayed Ivy quickly and silently.

Before Daryl passed out he whispered just a few words aloud that made Ivy smile to herself, then she held her hand down on the wound applying pressure until she heard the shouts of excitement coming from camp.

"Glenn! Come hold his wound!" Ivy yelled at him before taking off in the direction of the camp as Tiny passed her, sprinting.

"Hey! Tiny! He loves you!" Ivy screamed as she ran passed the other woman.

When Ivy reached the RV she patted Dale, who was watching wide-eyed at the scene of drama that was unfolding before him, as she walked passed him and climbed up the ladder to the top of the RV where Andrea was standing, finally realizing what she had done.

Ivy looked like a hawk eyeing her pray, towering over Andrea. (A/N: Theoretically of course, Ivy's a shorrttty!)

"I told you not to shoot." Ivy scolded Andrea in a eerily calm voice. Ivy then lifted her leg and kicked Andrea in the hip, hard, causing her to fall backward onto her butt.

Ivy grabbed the rifle and pointed it at Andrea, straight in between the eyes.

"You won't shoot me." Andrea stated appearing confident, but Ivy could see it, there was a fear in her eyes that said she was ready to pee her britches.

"Oh, I won't?" Ivy questioned, sounding shocked as if it was literally something she was learning for the first time. "You just shot my best friend; my brother, the one I've known since we was both in diapers. I was tougher than you even then, so tell me… Why won't I shoot you?" Ivy asked mockingly in a low rough voice, honestly wanting to hear what the blond woman beneath her gun's stare would come up with.

"I'm no walker! Look around you! There aren't many of us left. Love me or hate me, I am a survivor in a world of shit. You won't shoot me." Andrea challenged, praying she wouldn't get shot. There was no way in Hell that Ivy could or would miss.

"Dale; catch." Ivy commanded him, throwing the rifle down over the side of the RV, then continued. "Your right, I won't shoot you."

Andrea's face visibly relaxed, that is until Ivy dropped to her knees, at Andrea's level in whispered in a cooing voice,

"Nowhere to run, bitch."

As expected, Andrea tried to stand and run to the ladder. Unfortunately for her, she made it nowhere near her goal. Ivy stood in synch with Andrea and before the blond could react Ivy punched her square in the jaw.

Andrea stood tall, trying to appear tough so Ivy punched her in the gut, making her bend down in pain, Ivy took advantage of Andrea's position and kneed the woman in the face, breaking her nose, proved with a loud crunch.

Ivy was interrupted when Clementine came on top of the RV with them. So Ivy picked up Andrea by the collar and literally passed her to Tiny.

"Here," Ivy said. "Your turn."

**Kind of a weird place to end it but ehhh oh well XD Thanks for reading!**


	4. Stars

Daryl had been lying, asleep for a few hours and Ivy and Clementine had already cleaned and dressed his wounds. Since all of that work was done, Ivy decided to slip outside, knowing that Clementine really wanted some time alone with Daryl.

_I can't blame her, if he were anyone else, he'd be dead. _Ivy thought to herself as she walked down the stairs of the porch. As she was walking to her personal camp and the sun was setting she heard a guitar playing and someone singing softly.

Ivy followed the music, ending up behind the house where Glenn was singing softly whilst playing guitar. Maggie was sitting beside him, listening and watching the sunset with him.

"Hey, do y'all mind if I join?" Ivy asked as she walked over to the pair sitting on the ground.

"Not at all" Glenn answered the same time Maggie said, "Yeah, leave."

"Well I want to be here, so I'll just take Glenn's answer, sorry girly." Ivy responded directly to Maggie. The girl just huffed and stood, walking away from the scene.

"I don't know what her problem is." Glenn laughed, and then continued playing.

It was a Life House song, Ivy knew it so she started singing along.

"I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing  
>With a broken heart that's still beating<br>In the pain is there is healing  
>In your name I find meaning<br>So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on  
>I'm barely holdin' on to you…"<p>

Ivy just enjoyed the moment, she hadn't sung in so long, it was incredible to do something you love but haven't done in forever.

"You have an amazing voice." Glenn told her, truly surprised when the song had ended.

"Thanks." Ivy responded as she smiled to herself. "Wanna do another song?" She asked him not wanting her time singing to end.

"Sure." He said laughing, not wanting it to end either as he began a new tune.

"We can't be oblivious, we are not ignorant  
>Blood in our hearts and blood on our hands<br>We're human, we reason, we're breathing  
>Protecting the living and dying, surviving<br>We're trying to breathe in safety, come home safely

Mercy screams its violent love  
>Justice and mercy, justice and mercy<br>The depth of us created for  
>Justice and mercy, justice and mercy<br>This is where they kiss

Life here sacrificed, someone who paid the price  
>Blood in our hearts and blood on our hands<br>We cry out, we're fighting, it's warfare, we're dying  
>(From: .)<br>Believing we're winning, it's ending, we're singing  
>It's already done, we've overcome<p>

Mercy screams its violent love  
>Justice and mercy, justice and mercy<br>The depth of us created for  
>Justice and mercy, justice and mercy<br>This is where they kiss

With a life on the line of fire  
>That consumes or refines the fire<br>To ascent or decline, to retreat or to climb  
>Out of sight, out of mind 'til attacked from behind<br>Will this fire resume or refine?

Mercy screams its violent love  
>Justice and mercy, justice and mercy<br>The depth of us created for  
>Justice and mercy, justice and mercy<br>This is where they kiss"

Ivy was surprised when he picked this song, pleasantly so.

"Justice and Mercy; Flyleaf. You have a wonderful taste in music; it's one of my favorite songs." Ivy told him. He just nodded and started again, since they now had an audience.

Carol and Dale, rick and Lori, along with Carl, and some of Hershel's people were now watching and listening.

The duet played several more songs until everyone had decided to go to bed and it was just them once more.

"We are going to have to do this again, I think everyone enjoyed it. Especially us." Glenn voiced to Ivy. The stars had come out and it was beautiful so Ivy laid back onto her elbows and just looked at the sky, totally at peace with the moment.

"I love it when the stars are so clear. I mean, since the world pretty much sucks right now, there had to be at least one benefit right?" Ivy chuckled humorlessly, still watching the still sky. Glenn followed her lead and laid on the grass picking at the green tufts with his finger tips, wholly lost in his own thoughts.

"Sometimes I have dreams that this whole… Walker thing never happened." Glenn said.

Ivy just laughed then finished his sentence for him, "Then you wake up…"

Glenn only nodded in response not really knowing what to say. They sat there quietly, neither of them uncomfortable though. It had to have been an hour or more that passed between them before either one spoke.

"So, what's up with you and Maggie?" Ivy asked him, deciding that she would be the one to break the ongoing quiet.

"Eh… I don't really know, She told me that she likes me; I used to kind of like her too but, not feeling it so much anymore." He responded truthfully.

"Just like high school all over again." Ivy said. "By the way… How old are you?"

"21." He answered her question, quickly not really wanting to dwell on age, he knew he was a lot younger than everyone else and it was weird.

_Then again, she looks about the same age as me…_ He thought before finally asking,

"Uhh… I know it's rude and all but… um, how old are you?"

Ivy laughed loudly, "Dude, don't worry about it, I'm 22 I'm not old enough to care about you asking my age." They sat in silence again for a few more minutes but Ivy grew tired so she broke it once more.

"Well I'm goin' to bed, night."

"Good night Ivy."


	5. Oh, Daryl

** Hey guys! It's been a little while! I swear though I have been writing I am actually like 10 chapters (at least) ahead of this in my writing and plot is all written out (cause that's suuuuper important) But for some reason or another is not working very well on my computer which is kinda pissin' me off but oh well at least it is up here now! Read and enjoy and leave a review if you are feeling like a good citizen! **

Time Again: Chapter 5

It was another beautiful day outside in the morning as the sun was beginning to rise so Ivy took the rare opportunity to continue to read her novel, she finished quickly though and was left with nothing to do until everyone had woken. She was about ready to become lost in her thoughts of her past and what the world had been like before.

Not to sound like she was a person who wanted to destroy the world or loved watching people die or anything that would amount to that, but Ivy did prefer the world that they lived in now. She didn't have to sit in an unhappy tedium every day. Yes, she had been working to do what she loved but the tedium of the everyday choices and obstacles now seem so insignificant to what is now the truth.

Music was truly the only thing she missed out of everything, of course she missed the relationship with Anthony, a story she would save for a later date, but after what had happened between them, she could hardly find it in her at all to remember him. Music though… yes, music she could recreate. Glenn was good for that.

Glenn was also good at finding the most opportune moments to scare the living Hell out of her.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her, making her jump as she had not noticed his presence.

_'That would not do well if it were a walker attack…' _Ivy thought, unhappy with herself. Glenn gave her an odd look as if he had known exactly what she had been thinking about.

"You were thinking about the old world, weren't you?" Glenn wondered, he also wondered what she thought about it though as she had an odd expression on her face the entire time that had not passed the others' features when they had thought of such things.

"Yeah… I have a view that I don't think you want to know though." Ivy whispered back, still not wanted to wake anyone who might still be asleep in their tents, feeling safe for just awhile until they would need to move on.

"Try me." Glenn responded taking her lead on voice level, but smiling all the while.

"Well… I prefer this new world to the one before." She said, receiving a surprised and almost disgusted face from her companion. She decided that now would be a relatively good time to explain her words; "Don't get me wrong, not at all, hear me out." She told him.

Glenn only gave a small nod in encouragement for her explanation, as it was obviously needed. "It's not that I love seeing the destruction, or pain, or hurt of anyone, it's not that I see people in need or the way that the soles of the living dead are lost. I find no enjoyment of any of those things. However I do find joy in the fact that now we, as human beings work together for a greater cause, we have all truly formed relationships with each other that whether we be in this world, or a true, safe world, can never be broken now that they have been made. But can't you see? In the old world, I would have never even considered the majority of this group to even talk to them. I am talking even of Shane and Maggie, two people that I quite obviously dislike." Ivy took a moment to pause her monologue as this was the first time she was speaking of it out loud and this is a time that Glenn is hearing it for the first time; they both needed a moment to process all of what she was saying and the meaning of the words cleverly spaced in between the lines of what she had said.

When she continued she spoke softer as she had increased in volume with every word she had spoken.

"I am saying that we have formed a real bond, one that could never exist in the old world." She paused once more, thinking over her words before she would say them.

"I am saying that we are stronger both physically, and in our hearts. We are still here in the new universe of survival of the fittest. There is a reason we will find a cure, and when we do, that old world we knew? It will be gone, yes, but we can create an improved community we could make it so that the tedium of every day being lived in the same way, no longer is life. And I am saying we could m-"

Ivy was interrupted by the living Hell being frightened out of her once more this morning.

'_Group 2, Ivy 0' _ Ivy thought as she ran up the stairs of Hershel Greene's front deck upon hearing a fight between Daryl, whose voice had been the loudest, and two others. Ivy would assume Clementine who had yet to leave the room he had been bed ridden in.

"MY WOMAN! MINE!" He was yelling pointing at Rick who was looking down, angry as all get out. Ivy was supremely confused, it was obvious that Rick loved no one but his own wife, Lori and would always be faithful to her.

That's when Ivy saw that Tiny was wearing Rick's shirt.

"Look. Daryl, Shane was beein' Shane, and Tiny gave her shirt to you to-"Daryl interrupted for the however many-ith time, which Ivy could tell had been several.

"Stop with the God damned lies! And don't you dare be callin' her Tiny! Her name is Clementine to you!" Ivy and Glenn decided that it would be a good time for them to leave since they really had zero relevance to the situation, especially Ivy who, had currently been wailing on Andrea and had not seen what really happened that day regarding Clementine.

As the two were walking out the front door they could clearly see that the yelling had caused a commotion outside as well.

"What's goin' on in there?" Two voices questioned at the same time, though one voice was a sweet and quiet womanly voice, while the other was a gruff and demanding male voice.

Glenn quickly explained what was going on to Carol and Shane and when Shane made the move to go inside it was Ivy who stopped him.

"Look Shane, I get it, I want to help them settle things to, but it would be doin' no good for us to go in tryin' to help 'cause we could always just end up stirring the pot more." Shane begrudgingly backed down but did however, listen to her words.

"Is anyone goin' out today to look for my girl, or do I need to? I will, I'm just not a very useful tracker…" Carol's shy voice trailed.

"I'll go." Ivy said.

"Well you saw what just happened the other day now, Ivy, you best not be going by yourself." Dale said looking chastising and very serious.

Before Glenn, who wanted to help, could say anything, it was Shane who offered to go. Ivy found this strange though; Shane didn't like her, and thought that it was a waste of time to go on looking for the little girl.

"Oh, that's all right Shane, you don't need to come, I'll do just fine on my own." Ivy told him, knowing that she could handle herself. Ivy didn't really know exactly what had happened to Daryl, but she knew that it had to have been extreme and a not-so-everyday-occurrence for him to have been hurt so critically.

"Oh! No you don't!" Dale said once more from atop the RV where he sat holding a rifle.

"That's alright little girl, I'll go, besides, you don't even know what little Sophia looks like, regardless if you can take care of yourself or not." Shane replied evenly.

Ivy truly, just didn't understand what his motives were, she knew it wasn't really to find Sophia, but if not that, then what?

**Ok so it was another short chapter in there, but I promise, long ones are coming. Can anyone guess what Shane wants? Thanks for reading, Review if you are feelin' like a good citizen today! :P**

**~Jessika **


	6. Oh, Daryl prt 2

** Hi everyone! Sorry that I have not updated in a long time, Monday night I was in an Auto accident and I was in the hospital and then on Vikadin sp? And so I am sure you would not have wanted to see what I came up with, important thing is I am ok and so are my guys who were also in the car. I was thankfully the only one who got hurt which is strange because I was the one behind the driver (Elliot) and that's like the safest place in a head on but yeah it was a crazy road and it was late and he swerved a bit and then damn overcorrecting. Sooooo anyway, I wanted to let you all know, this is going to be a filled up chapter, I think that a lot is going to happen and I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do! **

The sun was beating down on the group, hot as ever, the strong urge to just drop and die today was particularly strong, though none of them would give into said urge. Ivy walked through the tall grasses of Hershel's farm alongside Shane, headed to the forest in search of the missing little girl.

Ivy knew that Shane wanted something, she just couldn't figure out what. He kept looking at her, furrowing his brow, then turning away from her, so whatever he had to say, he was incredibly pensive about it.

As the pair made their transition into the woods they each stepping on their share of sticks Shane finally spoke up.

"You seem like a leader." He stated blandly as if he was still thinking about what he was going to say next. Upon realizing that he would not continue until she made a move Ivy nodded curtly.

"Go on." She encouraged him, if that's what one would call it.

Shane looked at her and grinned, it was probably meant to be nice but Ivy thought that he kind of looked more like the Cheshire Cat.

"You see, we have no business lookin' for this little girl. She's dead, prolly a walker by now if I'm honest. You see that right? I know ya do. There ain't no one else though, we need to convince them." Shane restarted and Ivy finally realized part of what Shane had wanted but she knew that there was more to this than just simply the little girl who had gone missing.

"I know. But I ain't one to take away anyone else's hope." Ivy told him, then shrugged. "Look, everyone is hopin' that this little girl is alive, we know she's not, and they'll see it soon too, but we can't take away their hope." She explained to him. Shane looked extremely thoughtful and Ivy knew that she had hit a cord somewhere deep within him, probably and old part of Shane that didn't exist anymore.

"Yeah, I get it." Shane nodded again, like he was still trying to convince himself to believe what she said even though he knew that people would get hurt in the process of fulfilling their hope. "What do you think of Rick as a leader?" Shane asked her with a strange light to his eye. That clued Ivy off to the fact that this is the other half of what the man before her had wanted. All she could do was answer honestly.

"Don't know. I can tell he's a good man, but I ain't got a leader. I'm outta hear sooner or later anyway. I like bein' my own leader." Ivy told him though she knew it didn't give him any answer that he was looking for, though he didn't seem surprised at what she said.

"Yeah, I get that too." He said, nodding yet again to the words she spoke to him.

"So… why are you still here? You don't seem like you would be the one to follow someone else's lead anyway.

Shane chuckled humorlessly and then replied;

" Yeah, I'm not, there's just some people here I need to protect." He told her.

"I gotcha." Was all she said. She had a sneaking feeling that he wasn't telling her everything, but she didn't press the issue as she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know.

Time passed in silence as the two looked on forward for the young girl named Sophia, whom the two that were searching had little to no hope for her survival. Suddenly, Shane, who had been walking beside Ivy stopped in his steps and when Ivy looked back at him, he had a gun pointed at her.

Ivy was shocked but grabbed her machete from her belt loop immediately nonetheless and ducked beneath Shane's gun, wondering why he hadn't shot at her already and held a knife to his throat. That's when a shot rang and Ivy looked up as the walker infront of them fell to the forest floor.

Ivy quickly put her knife away and looked up at Shane apologetically. He gave her a strange look but turned around to start heading back to the farm.

"Sorry, impulse." Ivy admitted. Shane said nothing just kept walking, Ivy fell into step with him once more trying to find a peace between them that had been there before the walker showed up and Ivy had pointed her knife to his throat.

"Eh… I get it." Shane allotted to tell her. Ivy just followed his previous gesture and nodded.

The sun was just setting when the pair had gotten back from looking for the young girl and Ivy headed straight for the house, wondering if Daryl, Rick, and Tiny had worked out their issues.

The screen door groaned as she walked in to see her closest friends of the group sitting beside each other on the bed quietly discussing something that she could not quite make out. The two were both unaware of her presence so Ivy took the moment to observe her friends.

Clementine was absolutely beautiful; she had long, wavy red hair, dark green, almost brown eyes and a splash of freckles across her nose which would wrinkle in anger throughout the conversation.

Admittedly, Daryl was a very handsome man. Ivy wouldn't deny it. He had that not-so-blonde hair that girls would swoon over and deep blue eyes that Ivy had always loved, he, of course had built arms that women everywhere would die for. But it wasn't that way for Ivy, he was like a brother to her and she loved him dearly, just not in a romantic sort of way. Ivy was happy, the two were a beautiful couple, she was jealous of them really.

There were times when she just wanted someone to hold. Ivy quickly erased the silly thoughts from her mind as quickly as they came though, she did not want to think of such things in any way.

That's when Clementine's sister, Skye, walked to Ivy and grabbed her elbow. Skye was perfectly named, due to her beautiful sky blue eyes that always sparkled. Unlike her sister though, she had bright blond hair that was tamed, straight, where as Clementine's waves were wild and messy in a flattering way. The two were gorgeous opposites. They paled Ivy into the background as she could never compare in the looks department.

Ivy finally made her presence known to the two on the plush bed, with Skye holding Ivy's hand, which she immediately let go of to sit beside her older sister.

"Hey guys, just wanted to check on ya'll." Ivy told them. Daryl, rolled his eyes, Tiny, frowned deeper. "Good to hear." Ivy spoke sarcastically under her breath.

That was the exact moment when Rick walked into the small and dimly lit room with Lori, his wife, on his arm.

"You should leave Rick." Tiny told him weakly.

"No. Daryl will listen to me." Rick responded sternly, earning a look from his anorexic looking wife.

"I ain't listenin' to shit from you!" Daryl resorted to yelling again. He was pissed, it was clear that the time apart from Rick had done nothing to quell his rage.

"We did noth-" Before Rick could finish Daryl interrupted him and before anyone could stop him he yelled something that Ivy had not expected at all.

"What? Did ya figure that since your wife was fuckin' around with your best buddy that you would fuck 'round too? Well back off! She's mine!"

Rick didn't even look at Daryl when he said that, just looked astonished at Lori, who's eyes were wide open with fear and regret. Her brown eyes showed the truth right there in them.

_Holy shit. I had no idea. _Ivy thought to herself as Rick just shook his head tight lipped and walked past Lori and out the door not bothering to touch her.

Once Rick had made his way out of the room completely and sufficiently slammed the door as hard as he could Lori fell to the ground, sobbing. No one went to her aid, they all just stared at her, and presently switched their attention to Skye who had begun to cry as well.

"All you cryin' whores get outta here, now." Daryl ordered. Lori stared at him for a moment but then proceeded to stand and exit the room.

"Come on, Skye, you come with me." Ivy said to the little girl who was trying to wipe away her small tears, causing her face to become irritated and red. The last thing Ivy heard before shutting the screen door at the front of the house was;

"What the fuck Daryl!"

Ivy shook her head and took Skye to sit by the fire with Carl.

Glenn walked up to Ivy and asked her about what happened inside the house. Ivy answered in complete honesty.

"Ehh, Daryl was bein' Daryl and Rick and Lori got into a pretty decent fight, so I took it as a good time to peace out." She said as she continued on her way to begin her walk. Glenn just waited to see if the woman beside him would say anything more, but she didn't and he hadn't figure that she would.

"You know, it's not safe to go out there this late." Glenn spoke up to his fear for her. The sun had been down for a good hour and they both knew that it was the walkers' favorite time to eat some dinner.

"Oh, I know!" Ivy said more enthusiastically than Glenn thought that she would and found his suspicions to be correct when the young woman continued. "It's going to be crazy dangerous, you really don't have to come if you're scared. I'll be ok without the manly Asian man around to keep me safe." She finished sarcastically, hurting the young man more than she had thought that she would.

Glenn just continued to walk beside her quietly for a few moments, enjoying the silence along with her until he decided he wanted to ask her something.

"Why don't you like me? I mean the night we played music was the only time you've ever been nice to me." He asked her, unsure of what her answer would be and was incredibly curious to see what her response would be.

Ivy thought before answering, it's not that she didn't like him. He was nice, and brought her to this group of nice people, he seemed about her age, he was cute enough, but really, he seemed rather wimp and none too bright.

'_Weird for a yellow guy'_ Ivy thought to herself

She once more, decided that honesty was the best policy, she would just do it with a double negative.

"I don't not like you." She responded to him not allowing much information to pass through her lips.

"You seem like you do." He pressed.

"Well I don't! That's all there is to it!" Ivy said, maybe a little too loudly for comfort since they were in the woods by now.

"Look you don't have to-"Glenn was interrupted by a rustling sound coming from a bush. There was just an infinitesimal second from the time that they heard the noise to the moment that Ivy had her machete at the ready and Glenn had his gun up and directed accurately at the bush and whatever was squirming within its life.

Glenn moved to the other side, grabbing a large stick that had fallen from the tree above them and poked at the bush until a bloody shoe came out from the bush and more rustling was heard.

Ivy retrieved a large tree limb that was laying beside the tree that the bush sat under. She used it to pry open the tendrils of the bush, revealing a small child. She was blond and had pretty blue eyes, she looked scared and confused. Within seconds though the girl had jumped up and was attached to Glenn.

Ivy was supremely confused until Glenn spoke.

"Sophia!" Glenn yelled joyously as the little girl squeezed the life out of him. The small girl definitely looked worse for wear and was covered head to toe in blood.

"Honey, did you get hurt at all?" Glenn asked setting the child down. Sophia nodded before answering quietly.

"Yes but it wasn't bad, not like Kimi." Sophia explained. Ivy and Glenn shared a look, neither of them knew who the girl was referring to.

"Who's Kimi?" Glenn asked her. Ivy had yet to speak up, she wasn't good with children and she felt extremely awkward and embarrassed quite frankly. Plus, the girl didn't know her and Ivy didn't want to freak her out. It looked like the small blond had been frightened enough in the last week or two that she had been gone, Ivy wasn't sure how long it had been since she hadn't joined until the middle of her new group's search.

"She saved me." The little girl allotted to say while nodding her small head causing tendrils of blond to float back and forth wispily. "Kimi was a kid too, but older than me and Carl… she was this tall." Sophia told the pair of adults and stretched up as high as she could putting her hand to show how tall Kimi had been. "Yeah, and she had red hair like Miss Clementine's hair."

"Where is Kimi at?" Ivy finally spoke up.

Sophia's eyes began to water and her bottom lip poked out, quivering just slightly. "She died."

"Did she get bit by a walker?" Glenn asked the young child but his only response was a nod and he decided collectively with Ivy that they would discontinue their questioning until later, if at all, this Kimi girl had not been bitten, thus had not turned into a walker, and she has died, so she really wasn't of any importance to them at that point.

Regardless of what had transpired during Sophia's absence and what hadn't, the kid looked like she was about to pass out, and she probably was about to. That's when the term "looked like she was about to pass out" became way too literal.

Sophia turned ghostly white and her eyes rolled back into her head as she fell against Glenn's leg. Glenn picked up the girl just to notice that she was extraordinarily clammy.

"We need to get her to Hershel's" Ivy said quietly touching Sophia's hand.

Glenn started jogging back to the farm house with Ivy trailing slightly behind him and to his side.

**I hope y'all enjoyed the story so far! I am so happy that I get to write this, please remember to check out the sister story to this one! Ivy is not yet there in that one (as of today) but it follows Clementine (Tiny) and Skye's story up until this point and eventually Ivy will be in it, the two stories constantly intermingle and it is a fabulous story that she is writing (WasteOfAnArrow) Check it out! Remember to review if you are feeling like a good citizen!**


	7. Dear Carol

**I lost my flash drive with all my stories in it, I am trying to get to Guatemala for a mission trip, I am trying to get a job, I have been having art shows, my band is recording, I have been very involved in leadership conferences in my area and all the while I have torn muscles in between my shoulder and spine and my ribs are in the wrong place, I have to go in for three treatments a week to get it fixed and they hurt really badly. I have been a very, vvveeerrryyy busy lady, so I am truly truly sorry that I have not updated in way too long. When summer comes I will hopefully have more time. Thank you! **

"Tiny! Get Hershel!" Ivy screamed, out of breath from the run. Running was seriously not her forte; she just did what she had to do. The light was coming up and she saw that Daryl and Clementine were still awake and talking on the porch, she really needed to get Carol up.

"Carol! Carol, we found her!" She shouted once more, releasing several more puffs of breath that she desperately needed more of.

"She fainted." Glenn told Hershel fairly loudly. "We ran straight here though." By now every member of the group were awake, including Skye and Carl who were over joyed at seeing their friend again.

Skye was a relatively tall twelve year old, she was the same age as Carl while Sophia had to be a year or two younger, but it didn't seem to matter much to the long haired blond who had her blue eyes calculating on Sophia who could be her twin, they were like sisters. Ivy personally thought that even if they were not in this piece of shit world Sophia, Carl, and Skye would have found each other somehow.

"I need you all to step back now so I can take the little one inside, someone please get her mother, I think she is showering inside at the moment." Hershel told the kids and then directly to Ivy. Ivy quickly went to retrieve Carol from the shower to give her the best news of her life. She didn't even stop to wonder why in the world Carol was showering at what could only be described as four in the morning.

Ivy knocked on the bathroom door, but when there was no answer she yelled into it. When there was still no response Ivy swung open the door and was met by a cloud of steam rushing at her face. The air was thick because of the hot steam and Ivy felt a wash of vertigo rage over her. Ivy called to her again, and once more, there was no response from the woman in the shower.

When she got close enough Ivy threw open the curtains to see Carol, sitting on the floor of the tub, facing the wall, crumbled and with bloody wrists. Red streams of water were dripping down the drain, the white tub held a color of orangey pink due to the mixture of blood and water. The red droplets were also beading and dripping down the woman's face, appearing to spout from the crown of her head.

Ivy wanted to scream, but she knew that calling to attention would not be what was best for the group. Ivy usually calculated on things too long to ever make a good decision, but when it came to emergencies she acted, then she thought about it. Luckily for her, acting before thinking almost always came to the best conclusion for the health of herself and others. Ivy reached Carols should and shook her.

"Carol! Carol? Are you ok?" Carol looked at Ivy but she had trouble just lifting her head and she had a glazed look in her eyes, Ivy knew exactly what that meant. Two things. Head injury, she must have hit her head when she fell to the bottom of the tub, she must have fainted due to blood loss from the jagged crimson openings on her wrists.

Ivy wasted no time, she immediately turned off the hot water with one hand and lifter her head with the other hand so that it appeared that carol was looking at her, even though Ivy knew for a fact that she wasn't what the elder woman was seeing. Ivy used her other arm to put her arm under Carol's knees, rested her head on one her own shoulders and placed her other arm beneath her bottom.

"Clementine! Come here for a second!" Ivy yelled out, efficiently waking everyone who had been asleep in the not-so-calm-farmhouse.

"I can't. I am helping Hershel with Sophia!" Came Tiny's response, Ivy rolled her eyes and began to move, slowly as not to stir the woman in her arms too much and called out to her again.

"Tiny, it's important I need you here. Get Daryl too."

Ivy walked as evenly as possible to the room across the hall from the bathroom, which just so happened to Maggie's bed room.

"Maggie, I need your room, please get up." Ivy said urgently, trying to be patient with the other young woman that, as everyone was well aware of, she greatly disliked.

"Really? You of all people think I should give my room, my bed to—Oh my God." Maggie said, turning in her bed to face Ivy and then promptly jumping up out of bed to make room for the woman in need.

"Thanks." Ivy said, as she set Carol into the offered bed, deciding that it was more important to tend to Carol than to acknowledge Maggie's incompetence.

"What the Fuck?" Daryl yelled, announcing his presence in the bedroom.

"Go to the bathroom and under the sink is a towel, bring me one, and a few wash rags while you are at it. Make sure they are wet. Where the Hell is Tiny?" She ordered him and then asked. Ivy needed another hand that knew what they were doing and Hershel was taking care of Sophia at the moment. Daryl just nodded and began to walk out the door, quickly.

"Tiny said she would be up in a minute." He said as he turned reopened the bathroom door.

When Daryl came back with what she asked for she set to work. She pressed the dry towel on one arm and help it for a moment, it looked like it had been bleeding for a while and was ready to stop soon so she took her, now wet, brown hair out of its pony tail and used the hair tie to put around Carol's arm to hold the towel in place and add pressure.

With that steady she began her work cleaning out the woman's head wound with one of the wet rags.

"Maggie, start cleaning out her other wrist, apply pressure so it can stop the bleeding, Daryl, get Clementine the fuck up here now." Ivy demanded calmly and seriously. "Oh! And bring another pillow with you!" She shouted to Daryl. Ivy noticed right away that Maggie was fumbling with Carol's wrist, while the girl was actually trying her best (and Ivy could recognize that) she had no idea what she was doing.

"Maggie will you get Patricia in here?" She asked hoping that Maggie would just simply do as she asked; she did, thankfully.

Daryl was back in the room shortly, in tow he had Clementine, who gasped at the scene before her and immediately jumped in to help, and a pillow, in which he handed to Ivy.

"Grab her head." She told Clementine who lifted it properly and Ivy slid the pillow beneath her head before letting Clementine release her head to gently set it back down on the pillows. From there Tiny took Maggie's place in fixing the uncovered wrist that had not look quite as badly chewed up as the one that was covered in the once white towel now gone red.

Maggie and Patricia rushed into the room, moving Daryl, who was still standing in the middle of the doorway, and went to work on the covered wrist right away, Maggie however faded to the corner, unsure of what to do. Ivy decided to take the lead once more.

"Daryl, see if you can help Hershel with Sophia at all, Maggie, please get some water and pain medication, the strongest that you have. Then, you should also help Hershel; possibly help Lori prepare breakfast for everyone since Carol is not able to help. Thank you." Ivy said looking directly at Maggie and truly meaning it when she looked at her. Maggie and her really did not get along, it was no secret to anyone, but she was doing her best and was being a very big help and that is something that Ivy had no choice but to acknowledge.

Both people ran out of the room in a hurry to do what was asked of them. It was Maggie who returned with the water and pain medication, while Ivy had no idea where the Vikadin had come from since Hershel was a veterinarian, she wasn't going to complain. She force fed Carol the medication and continued her work.

After what felt like no time but had truly been several hours had passed, Maggie once more entered the room, this time slowly and hesitantly.

"Breakfast is finished. I will send for Hershel, Sophia is awake and is eating in the guestroom downstairs where Carl was taken care of." She announced, letting Ivy and the other two nurses in the room know.

"Ok, thank you." Tiny said. Maggie exited the room and Patricia followed. Ivy and Clementine just looked at each other, knowing that there wasn't much else they could do for the middle aged woman who had been so caring towards both of them. The pair waited in the room beside Carol, watching over her until Hershel came into the room.

Ivy was starving after stressing over Carol's current condition.

**{Yes I know Author's notes in the middle of a story are possibly one of the most annoying things in fanfiction, but I must tell you all that the rest of this chapter kind of skips time in areas so bear with me! (Is that the right kind of bear or bare I am not sure! Onward!] **

The sun was shining brightly and the clouds were ominous and demanding in the sky and the smell of fresh rain was just moments away. It was wondrous. It had been roughly two weeks since Ivy and Glenn had found Sophia in the woods and nothing of their conversation had been spoken of again, but Ivy knew that it would come it was only a matter of time before the Asian boy she now knew as Glenn would bring up the subject once more. They had just been so busy with their new lives that they had not gotten a chance.

Sophia was back on her feet and running around with Carl and Skye just days after she had awakened inside the Greene farm. Carol though had woken a few times but seems to be in a similar state of that of a coma. When she woke she wasn't really present and anyone could see that, this was in fact, what had first caused poor Sophia to run from the room terrified that her mother may not remember her.

Ivy knew better though, a mother never forgets her daughter. No matter the relationship between the mother and daughter neither can nor ever will forget about the other.

Carol,

Your baby girl is alive and well. I know you are sad and I know how you felt. It's time to come back now.

Ivy

Ivy was the first of the group to write Carol a letter but soon everyone had written her something.

Carol,

We need you back. We could sure use the help around the farm. Your little girl misses you a lot. We miss you. Take your time, we know you are sad. – Lori, Andrea, Maggie, and Patricia.

(Carol,

We need you back. We could sure use the help around the farm. Your little girl misses you a lot. We miss you. Take your time, we know you are sad. – Lori, Andrea, Maggie, and Patricia.) {**In case you couldn't read it.} **

Carol,

Come back soon. We miss you. Feel better. – Rick, Glenn, and T-Dawg

Come back. Your girl wants you. –Daryl (Come back. Your girl wants you.-Daryl)

All these letters had been written in the two weeks that Carol had not been with the group of survivors Sophia had written to her Momma every day and the other children would always sign it too. It was today though that Sophia's letter said the most. Today when the sky would poor tear drops on all of them.

**OKKKK END of Chapter. So I hope you all liked it and I swear I am working on the next chapter as you read this. This was another one of those impromptu twists, a chapter I didn't know how I was going to so until I sat down and started typing. The main plot will become apparent, I just know that this is going to be a big story and will really be a trilogy. Thank you for reading! Please review, I would like some feedback! Again thank you and I promise the next chapter will be up shortly. Lastly, I am going to try and work on my other stories too, if you have not read them, check them out, if you have, then I will also have new chapters for those too. K BYE! **


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